Quebec December 2025-6 October 2026

23 July
Opinion: AI will expose the limits of Quebec’s language restrictions
Instant translation technology changes the relationship between how information is presented and how it is received and used.
By Jack Jedwab, president and CEO of the Association for Canadian Studies Special to the Montreal Gazette
… AI translation will increasingly force Quebec governments to distinguish between two different objectives that are too often presented as though they were the same: The first aims to preserve the public and institutional face of French. The second is to modify how individuals actually communicate, obtain information and navigate their daily lives.
Language legislation can continue to accomplish the first objective. It can determine the language in which governments publish information, businesses display signs, employers communicate with workers, and institutions provide services. These requirements affirm the primacy and visibility of French.
AI does not undercut these goals. What it does, however, is weaken the assumption that controlling the language of publication also controls the language in which information is received, understood and used.
A French-only government website, form, sign, notice or workplace document may preserve the official French face of Quebec. But a citizen, worker, immigrant or visitor can increasingly translate it instantly with a browser, phone camera or AI assistant. …
17 September
Here are the 908 candidates and 20 parties running in the Quebec election
All five major parties are running in all 127 ridings.

5-6 October
Chantal Hébert: Notes de lendemain d’élections
Les résultats des élections générales québécoises de lundi soir ne seront pas sans suite sur la scène fédérale.
Five takeaways from the Quebec election results
(Globe & Mail) The results of Monday’s election will shake up Quebec’s political landscape, with the PQ returning to power after being nearly wiped out four years ago, while the Coalition Avenir Québec is facing extinction after eight years in government.
The PQ has won a minority mandate with just 28 per cent of the vote, the lowest vote share for any government in Quebec’s history. Leader Paul St-Pierre Plamondon has promised his government will hold a referendum on independence within a first mandate, though not before U.S. President Donald Trump leaves the White House in 2029. …
The arrival of a PQ government could herald a thornier relationship between Quebec City and Ottawa, as Mr. St-Pierre Plamondon looks to bolster support for independence. At a time when threats to Canada’s sovereignty are coming from both inside and outside the country, the PQ Leader’s agenda could be an irritant for Prime Minister Mark Carney.

‘We will oppose any move to hold a referendum,’ Quebec Liberals’ Milliard says after strong showing in election
Liberal leader also extends a hand to CAQ supporters after that party’s resounding defeat.
The Quebec Liberal Party will do everything in its power to ensure the Parti Québécois cannot hold a referendum in its first mandate, leader and newly minted MNA Charles Milliard said Tuesday.
Addressing the media in Quebec City the day after the Liberals more than doubled their number of MNAs in the National Assembly to become the official opposition, Milliard did not rule out triggering another election to stop a referendum bid by the PQ after that party was elected with a minority government Monday.
Milliard noted that a referendum is still possible, since St-Pierre Plamondon will likely try to find support from Québec solidaire, which favours separation and elected nine MNAs on Monday. At the same time, “we know very little, with all respect, about the Conservative party’s team.”Monday’s election, in which the Liberal party went from 18 seats in the National Assembly to 40, “was an important step,” Milliard said. The Liberal leader won in the Eastern Townships riding of Orford.
On Monday, the party maintained its usual strongholds on the island of Montreal, but also swept all six ridings in Laval for the first time since 2014, and won seats in the Eastern Townships, Outaouais, Montérégie and Quebec City. The seat won in the Quebec City riding of Jean-Talon by former Liberal party analyst Julie White was especially gratifying, Milliard noted, because the Conservatives dominated in the region, while the PQ failed to win even one seat
In a bid to broaden the reach of the Liberals for future elections, Milliard extended a hand to Coalition Avenir Québec supporters. “We share important common ground,” Milliard said. “Economic development, defending the French language, Quebec pride and the desire to remain part of Canada.
If you want to keep moving Quebec forward within Canada, then come join us.”

‘ Picking fights with Ottawa’: Tom Mulcair predicts what’s next for Quebec’s new premier
The former NDP leader joins the podcast to unpack the Quebec election.

As others see us
Quebec Separatists Win Power in New Challenge for Canada’s Carney
Takeaways by Bloomberg AI
– Voters in Quebec elected the separatist Parti Québécois, setting the stage for more strained relations with Prime Minister Mark Carney’s government and an eventual referendum on the province’s independence from Canada.
– The party won the election but fell short of a majority government, and PQ Leader Paul St-Pierre Plamondon has promised to hold a referendum on secession during a first four-year term — but not while US President Donald Trump remains in office.
– A secession referendum would be the third in the province’s history, and is a significant risk to Canadian unity, with the Canadian dollar and Quebec bonds already showing signs of volatility in response to the election result.
Parti Québécois Returns to Power, Reviving Quebec Sovereignty Push
The separatist party’s victory fell short of clinching a majority that would have all but guaranteed a potential showdown with Ottawa over Canada’s future.

Fréchette resigns as Coalition Avenir Québec leader
Fréchette announced the news in Quebec City, one day after her party failed to win any seats in Monday’s provincial election.
The CAQ was in power for eight years in Quebec and held 79 seats in the provincial legislature before the election campaign began in August.

PQ in power, CAQ wiped off the map: Key takeaways from Quebec’s election

Quebec election results:
Parti Québécois to form minority government
-latest results from the 2026 Quebec election-
20,704/20,704 polls reported

30 September
The PQ is on a roll
Andy Riga
Polls suggest that the three recent debates boosted PSPP and hurt Christine Fréchette, his biggest rival for crucial francophone voters.
With four opponents fighting largely among themselves and the referendum not a major focus, PSPP delivered strong debate performances. He presented himself as the premier-in-waiting and kept his temper in check.
His promise to delay a referendum until after Donald Trump’s presidency, with the PQ targeting a vote in 2029 or 2030, appears to have reassured enough sovereignty-skeptical francophone voters to cross that bridge when they come to it.
After soaring in the early days of the campaign, Fréchette came back down to earth in the debates.
She was unable to shake attacks on Coalition Avenir Québec’s record over the past eight years and convince voters the party deserves four more years.
… The Liberals are holding firm in non-francophone areas but leader Charles Milliard has gained little traction among French speakers.
The Conservatives continue to rise and hope to replace the CAQ as the leading conservative, nationalist party that promises not to hold a referendum. Leader Éric Duhaime is urging voters to elect enough Conservatives to block a PQ majority.
The Oct. 5 results may cause a major realignment in the National Assembly. Quebec could elect MNAs from five parties for the first time since 1976.
The biggest question mark is the CAQ. Current projections suggest the party could be shut out of the National Assembly entirely after winning two consecutive majority governments.
Premier PSPP’s priorities
What should Quebecers expect if PSPP is elected premier?
Premier St-Pierre Plamondon would have one eye on achieving PQ’s raison d’être: separating Quebec from Canada, a prospect critics say could spark economic and political instability.
But he will also have immediate priorities focused on immigration, identity, language and Quebec’s public finances.
Referendum
No referendum would take place during the first years of a PQ mandate, with the vote coming in 2029 or 2030, PSPP says.
Before that, Quebec would spend about $20 million on studies and preparations for a provisional constitution for the Quebec republic. The referendum itself would cost an estimated $110 million, the PQ says.
The PQ published a 524-page Livre bleu sur l’indépendance du Québec laying out its sovereignty plan. But it left unanswered one potentially thorny question: How it would handle negotiations with Indigenous peoples.
Immigration
The PQ has vowed to cut the number of temporary foreign workers roughly in half — to between 200,000 and 250,000.
It also wants to slash permanent immigrants by just over 40 per cent — to 35,000 per year (down from 60,150 in 2025).
Like former CAQ premier François Legault, PSPP argues high immigration levels have put too much pressure on health care, schools and the housing market.
French language
The PQ would extend Bill 101 restrictions to English CEGEPs, blocking access to the children of recent immigrants, who are already compelled to attend French elementary and high schools. This would add to English CEGEP enrolment caps imposed by the CAQ government.
Secularism
The CAQ’s Bill 21, which forbids government workers from wearing religious symbols, grew out of the PQ’s failed Charter of Values.
Now, the PQ plans to build on Bill 21 by barring elementary school students from wearing hijabs and other religious symbols, and cutting off religious school funding.
Budget cuts
The PQ says it can eliminate the deficit by 2028-29, largely through attrition in the public service and other spending reductions. It has not said how many jobs it would eliminate, but has vowed not to cut funding for health, education and culture.
Santé Québec
Early in the campaign, PSPP said he would eliminate Santé Québec, a body the CAQ government created to oversee the health system but that the PQ says adds bureaucracy and costs without improving services.
This week, the PQ leader said he would create a smaller body to replace Santé Québec that would report to the National Assembly.
Homelessness
The PQ says it would spend $1 billion over four years to cut the number of people experiencing homelessness by 50 per cent.
Money would go to new housing and hiring more social workers and mental health specialists. PSPP says he would personally oversee the issue.

29 September
Mulcair: Fréchette in free fall. What happened?
CAQ leader couldn’t make a clean break from her predecessor’s eight years in office, and it has cost her dearly.
Collapsing CAQ vote gives Milliard high hopes of rebuilding Liberal brand in Townships
But polls show most ridings are more likely to go PQ.
By Philip Authier

21-23 September
With less than two weeks until Oct. 5, polls suggest momentum is building for the Parti Québécois, reviving talk of a majority government while the Quebec Conservatives also gain traction.
The trend has fuelled talk of a PQ-Conservative “bromance,” as opponents highlight similarities between the parties on issues ranging from immigration to government spending.
After last week’s debates, the top numbers in two polls did not shift much, with the PQ still below 30 per cent, a level that would likely leave Paul St-Pierre Plamondon short of the 64 seats needed for a majority.
The CAQ and Liberals are still battling for second place, the Conservatives behind them and Québec solidaire trailing.
But pollsters point to underlying findings that suggest the PQ and Conservatives are making inroads.
The PQ now holds a 13-point lead over the CAQ among francophones, who decide most ridings, and has overtaken the CAQ among voters 55 and older, who turn out at higher rates, a Léger poll found.
The new polls come as party leaders prepare for Wednesday’s debate, one of the last major opportunities to sway voters before advance polls open this weekend.
With many tight two- and three-way races, the outcome remains difficult to predict, according to Jean-Marc Léger, the CEO of the Léger polling firm.
“Quebec elections start with numbers and budget promises, but always end with emotion,” he said Tuesday during a webinar about the election.

PQ leads as election day approaches, but race tightens for 2nd place: new poll
Liberal support in the Eastern Townships, traditionally a party stronghold, appears to slip
(CBC) A new Segma Research poll, commissioned by Radio-Canada and Les Coops de l’information, conducted between Sept. 8 and 17, found that 29 per cent of respondents would vote for the PQ.
The poll, which surveyed 5,572 Quebecers, the vast majority of them francophones, found that the fight for second place in voter intentions was a tighter race.
The Estrie region, also referred to as the Eastern Townships, has historically been a Liberal stronghold. Now, the PQ and the CAQ, both of which are polling at 29 per cent in the region, appear poised to make inroads. The Liberals, meanwhile, are in third place in the region, with 15 per cent voter support.
Charles Milliard, the leader of the Liberal Party, is himself running in the Estrie riding of Orford and his campaign caravan has visited the region at least seven times.

17 September
5 things that happened during the first 2 debates of Quebec election campaign
(Canadian Press via TALQ) The prospect of another sovereignty referendum emerged as a major theme in the first two Quebec election debates, with CAQ Leader Christine Fréchette repeatedly using the issue to frame the race against PQ Leader Paul St-Pierre Plamondon. While St-Pierre Plamondon defended his referendum plans, Liberal Leader Charles Milliard and others criticized Fréchette for refusing to say how she would vote. Fréchette also faced attacks over the CAQ’s eight-year record, including spending controversies and the failed battery investment, while presenting herself as a steady hand amid the Canada-U.S. trade war. Québec solidaire’s Ruba Ghazal and Conservative Leader Éric Duhaime positioned their parties as alternatives to the established parties, with very different approaches to taxes, public services, energy and the environment. The leaders were also asked about the Superior Court ruling requiring Élections Québec to send voting reminder cards in both French and English; Fréchette said she was committed to promoting the French language and protecting the English community, while Milliard welcomed the ruling as positive for democracy.

14 September
Hanes: Climate change is the forgotten issue of the Quebec election
Among all the existential crises facing Quebec, the biggest one is going unaddressed by party leaders.
… Although we may not have felt it in Montreal this summer, August was one of the two hottest months on record worldwide, tying July 2023.
A major climate report by the federal government, unceremoniously dumped just before the Labour Day long weekend, paints a grim picture of how global warming is reshaping Canada.

Is the Fréchette honeymoon over?
Likely too early to say, but thirst for change doesn’t augur well for incumbent premier and CAQ, poll suggests.
The Montreal Gazette via TALQ newsletter
A new Léger poll suggests the Parti Québécois continues to lead the Quebec election campaign with 29 per cent support, while the Quebec Liberals have climbed to 23 per cent and the CAQ has slipped to 21 per cent, putting it in third place with three weeks to go before the October 5 vote. The Liberal gains were driven largely by younger voters, non-francophones and people in the Montreal area, while the CAQ lost support among some of those groups. The poll also found 61 per cent of Quebecers want a new government and a new party, a potential warning sign for the incumbent CAQ, while 42 per cent of voters remain flexible about their choice. Paul St-Pierre Plamondon was seen as best embodying change, followed by Conservative leader Éric Duhaime, Liberal leader Charles Milliard and Premier Christine Fréchette. Two other polls released Monday showed similar trends, with the PQ ahead and the CAQ and Liberals competing closely for second place.

12 September
Without that French connection, Liberal election win is ‘impossible’ for Milliard
By René Bruemmer
(Montreal Gazette) It was March 20 and hope was blooming for the Quebec Liberal Party. Six months before the provincial elections, the party found itself in unfamiliar territory — at the top of the polls, neck and neck with the leading Parti Québécois. The Liberals had risen to 33 per cent of the intended vote thanks in part to the recent coronation of Charles Milliard, the telegenic, 47-year-old former president of the Fédération des chambres de commerce du Québec. A pharmacist with a background in corporate management, he was seen as a breath of cleansing air after corruption allegations that shook the party and led Pablo Rodriguez to step down.
BUT
The Quebec Liberal Party faces a major challenge in winning the election because of its weak support among francophone voters, who make up the vast majority of Quebec’s electorate. Polls show the Liberals attracting only about 10 per cent of francophone voters, compared with 33 per cent for the Parti Québécois and 27 per cent for the CAQ, prompting political scientist André Lamoureux to say a Liberal victory is “impossible” without rebuilding that support. Analysts say the party has increasingly been viewed as a party of anglophones, minorities and Montrealers, while its strongly federalist stance, opposition to Bill 21 and difficulty addressing nationalist concerns have alienated many francophones. The CAQ has also filled the political space between federalism and sovereignty that once benefited the Liberals, while Christine Fréchette is attracting voters by warning of a PQ referendum and emphasizing economic stability during the U.S. trade war. New leader Charles Milliard has promised to focus on health care, housing and affordability, but his campaign has struggled to gain momentum, and analysts say the party must eventually rebuild its organization outside Montreal and find a way to appeal simultaneously to francophone voters and its traditional anglophone and minority base.

9 September
Anglophones on the sidelines in the Quebec election
Andrew Caddell
Along with a lack of bilingual voter information cards, there will be three French leaders’ debates, even though non-francophones have specific concerns related to language, health, education, and government services
(Hill Times) … Having drilled down into the role of the election in the current national existential crisis/trade war, I will drill further to a subset of the Oct. 5 election: the involvement of Quebec’s English-speaking community.
This isn’t to inflate their importance: despite being 1.6 million people (more than the respective populations of six provinces and territories), they are mostly clustered on the island of Montreal, where there are 27 seats, of which a dozen count substantial numbers of anglophones.
Off the island, in western Quebec, the Eastern Townships, and the Far North, there are another 20 or so seats where the proportion of English-speakers ranges from five to 10 per cent. However, they tend to vote as a herd: in the 2022 election, non-francophone voters delivered 27 seats to the Quebec Liberals, enough to make them the official opposition in the National Assembly.
The Coalition Avenir Québec government of then-premier François Legault dined out on its tempestuous relationship with the English-speaking community. Legault, who once boasted at a Parti Québécois meeting that he “hated [the English] as much as you do,” took great joy in calling English Quebecers “the world’s best-treated minority.” He also refused to be interviewed on English media the eight years he was premier.
Legault introduced the mean-spirited Bill 96 in 2021, ostensibly to strengthen the French language, but which so inflamed the English-speaking community there are 10 cases challenging the law in court (full disclosure: I am a plaintiff in one of them).
His successor, Christine Fréchette, offered to “change the tone” of her party’s relationship with Anglo Quebecers when she became leader in April. Unfortunately, she didn’t change the substance.
Proof of that came recently when it was disclosed French Language Minister Jean-François Roberge and Commissioner of the French Language Benoît Dubreuil refused to allow Élections Québec an exemption to issue bilingual voter information cards. Instead, the cards will include a QR code for English speakers.
The decision would have been taken months ago, but wasn’t revealed until last week. Given this apparent voter suppression is probably unconstitutional, an injunction is being sought to force the issuing of bilingual information.
And she of the “new tone,” Fréchette, doubled down to say there would be no change in the voter information cards as “French is the only official language in Quebec,” and anglophones should accept a QR code. Most Anglos speak French, but those who don’t are the elderly, Indigenous people, the rural poor, visible minorities, and the physically and mentally challenged, who may not recognize a QR code or don’t own a smartphone.
Then came another shock: Élections Québec will refuse to serve voters who are not “historic anglophones,” the 500,000 Quebecers not educated for seven years of primary and secondary school in English in Canada. These citizens could be refused election information if they phone a “help” line or request assistance at the polls.
The whole issue has caused a storm in the Quebec media. Quebec nationalists have compared this policy to Canadian provinces where francophone minorities don’t receive bilingual provincial information. But there are bilingual election cards for francophone minorities in Ontario, Manitoba, and New Brunswick.
It took Quebec Liberal Leader Charles Milliard three days to write the premier after the news broke, but she dismissed him immediately. So, the fate of information for disadvantaged unilingual anglophones lies with the courts.
It amounts to this: anglophones are orphans in this election. There will be three French leaders’ debates, but none in English, even though non-francophones have specific concerns related to language, health, education, and government services. The election information contretemps is a microcosm of the discrimination dating back to the passage of Bill 96.

7 September
Quebec race settling in ahead of second full week of the campaign
The early movement in the polls has subsided, but the campaign remains a knife-fight.
Éric Grenier
It’s been a relatively placid week on the Quebec election campaign trail, though not through want of trying to mix things up.
With five parties in the running to win seats, all with pockets of strong support in different parts of the province, there’s been a cacophony of platform policies, candidate controversies and attacks against one leader or another. The end result, though, is that nothing has really broken though to capture voters’ attentions.
Perhaps accordingly, the latest Pallas Data poll (the only survey published since September 1) shows very little change in voting intentions. But the changes that did occur, primarily at the regional level, have improved the Parti Québécois’s chances.

3 September
The fact that Élections Québec says it sought permission from government bureaucrats to send out bilingual documents is one of the most disturbing aspects of this entire affair
Mulcair: French-only notices may put validity of Quebec election into question
The Supreme Court, in cases going back nearly 50 years, has set out clear rules.
In its announcement this week that voting information would be sent out in French only, Élections Québec pointed the finger at the Coalition Avenir Québec and indicated the government’s language reforms under Bill 96 left it no choice.
It’s worth noting that the whole structure of the authority of the directeur général des élections (DGE) puts it above political interference. The fact that Élections Québec says it sought permission from government bureaucrats to send out bilingual documents is one of the most disturbing aspects of this entire affair.
First of all, the DGE doesn’t need permission from a government minister to do his job. It’s prescribed by law. And precisely because the notice in question is prescribed by statute, it must be in both official languages.
Élections Québec announced this week that the Coalition Avenir Québec government’s sweeping language reforms under the law known as Bill 96 require voting guides and reminder cards to be mailed only in French. Julius Grey reacted in a nanosecond  ‘Pettiness and nastiness’: No justification for Quebec’s French-only election mailouts, lawyer Julius Grey says: “I certainly would be prepared to defend the position that this is contrary to equality and to the democratic rights.”

1 September
(TALQ) National Post columnist Marc-Olivier Fortin says CAQ Leader Christine Fréchette is borrowing Prime Minister Mark Carney’s political playbook by making Donald Trump the central threat of the Quebec election campaign. Fréchette is shifting the focus away from the CAQ’s record and toward who voters trust to protect Quebec from Trump, a strategy Fortin says could benefit the party because concerns about the U.S. president are particularly strong among older voters, where the CAQ performs best. While polls show the CAQ closing the gap with the PQ, Fortin says younger voters remain more focused on issues such as affordability, housing, health care and the economy. He adds the CAQ is using Trump as a political “smoke screen” to avoid defending its record and addressing Quebec’s deeper economic challenges, including productivity, investment, taxation and red tape.
Marc-Olivier Fortin: Quebec goes ‘elbows up’ — CAQ could ride anti-Trump voters to victory
(National Post) Trump might not be about to sack Quebec City, but Fréchette is behaving as if he is. In her first campaign news conference on Thursday, she declared with all seriousness, yet could not help but crack a little smirk: “My opponent is named Donald Trump. He’s the real adversary.” The similarity with the Carney campaign is almost uncanny.
It is not a secret though that her campaign manager, Brigitte Legault, a former federal Liberal, is very close to Carney’s entourage. This association is even more remarkable considering the Liberal Party of Quebec still exists. The Coalition Avenir Québec is using the same playbook in an egregious way, considering Fréchette isn’t even leading trade talks. At least Carney could claim direct responsiblity for dealing with Trump.
Sondage Léger-Le Journal-TVA Nouvelles: l’effet des tarifs s’essouffle pour Christine Fréchette
(TALQ) A new Léger poll suggests that Christine Fréchette’s boost from the U.S. tariff crisis may be starting to fade. The CAQ gained 3 per cent last week but has now basically stalled, while the PQ remains in first place despite losing one point. The PQ continues to have strong support among francophone voters, but the CAQ is making gains in the Quebec City area, while Éric Duhaime’s Conservatives now lead there. The biggest concern is for the Liberals, who have lost 11 per cent since Fréchette became CAQ leader, with many former Liberal voters apparently moving to the CAQ. Québec solidaire has gained slightly but remains at only 10 per cent. The poll suggests the tariff issue is helping Fréchette, but its impact may be wearing off as voters turn their attention to other issues.

31 August
An unpredictable campaign begins
Even a small change in voting intentions could have a big impact on Quebec’s election.
Éric Grenier
(The Writ) Premier Christine Fréchette kicked off Quebec’s election campaign last Thursday, giving her 39 days — the longest campaign allowed by law — to turn things around for her Coalition Avenir Québec, a party that was doomed to electoral catastrophe when she took over from former premier François Legault earlier this year.
Already, her chances to pull off an upset look decent. But as soon as the CAQ got itself somewhat off the mat under Fréchette, this Quebec election was always going to be a tough one to call.

30 August
Daniel Béland: The Quebec Election: So far, Fréchette is Winning the Triangulation Game
The Québec election campaign isn’t even a week old and already, it is fraught with irony.
(Policy) Parti Québécois (PQ) Leader Paul St-Pierre Plamondon declared his position — as all PQ leaders must as the price of boarding a campaign bus — on the terms of an independence referendum as an election issue by saying he would not hold one until Donald Trump is out of office.
Donald Trump immediately made French language rights an issue. And then Mark Carney owned it.
That anti-Trump corner that PSPP (as he is known) had just staked out was also swiped — by Coalition avenir Québec (CAQ) Premier Christine Fréchette, who identified Trump as her “principal adversary” in the campaign during her launch on Thursday.

20 August
Opinion: If Quebec embarks on a new constitution path, the journey must be inclusive
The preparation of Quebec’s next proposed constitution should not begin behind closed doors.
By Giuliano D’Andrea, Peter G. White, Richard Walsh Smith and Julius Grey, Special to Montreal Gazette
During the National Assembly’s hearings on Justice Minister Simon Jolin-Barrette’s Bill 1, a recurring concern emerged: meaningful consultation should have begun before the bill was drafted, not after it had been tabled.
Bill 1 died on the order paper. A future government may revive its provisions, but without broad political agreement, the legislative process will largely have to begin again.
The debate, however, is not going away. Although the opposition parties rejected Bill 1, there is broad support across Quebec’s political spectrum for the principle of a written constitution. Regardless of which party forms the next government, another proposal is therefore likely.
The question is not simply whether Quebec should adopt a constitution, but how it should be developed and whose voices should be heard.
The Greater Quebec Movement* has already launched the Citizens’ Constitutional Summit (CCS) to identify the values, protections and commitments our English-speaking community would like reflected in a Quebec constitution.
[* The Greater Quebec Movement (GQM) is a think tank and advocacy group founded in the wake of the 1995 referendum on Quebec sovereignty. Its goal is to foster meaningful dialogue between English and French-speaking Quebecers on issues related to integration. The GQM acknowledges that several competing ideologies have often overlooked the concept of a Greater Quebec, which, despite its regional, linguistic, and cultural divides, also gives rise to a broad, elastic form of identity that can be shared by all.]
Such a summit should not be seen as withdrawing from Quebec society. On the contrary, it should help English-speaking Quebecers affirm that they are not merely a minority residing in Quebec, but a community with a stake in shaping its future.
Christine Fréchette ou l’autonomisme timoré
(TALQ) Journal de Montréal columnist Antoine Robitaille says Premier Christine Fréchette is moving the CAQ closer to the Quebec Liberal Party’s federalist position as she tries to attract Liberal voters and counter the Parti Québécois. He questions why Fréchette doesn’t promote a stronger autonomist message, which he believes would position the CAQ between the PQ’s sovereignty agenda and the Liberals’ federalism. Robitaille points to Fréchette’s recent comments attacking Paul St-Pierre Plamondon’s referendum plans, saying they sounded similar to Liberal leader Charles Milliard. He also highlights her appearance in Newfoundland and Labrador, where she spoke in both English and French alongside Prime Minister Mark Carney during the Churchill Falls agreement announcement. This makes the CAQ look increasingly Liberal and raises questions about whether Fréchette has abandoned the autonomist approach associated with François Legault’s government.

11-17 July
Why more Quebecers are flocking to Laurentians as province’s demographics shift
Affordability, nature and quality of life are driving people to small towns
(CBC)…many newcomers cite affordability, remote work, access to nature and the ability to raise a family outside a major city while still remaining within commuting distance of Montreal.
But the region’s growing popularity is also putting pressure on housing and public services.
In Saint-Jérôme, Mayor Rémi Barbeau said new apartments don’t stay available for long.
Quebec’s population is shifting — and not every region will grow the same way
New projections reflect aging population, migration patterns and smaller households
(CBC) While some regions are expected to continue attracting residents, others — including Montreal — could see its population shrink if current demographic trends continue.

6 July
Mulcair: As Quebec campaign heats up, here’s my long-range forecast
One thing seems clear already: With the threat of a referendum, other big issues aren’t getting the attention they deserve.
With the end of the National Assembly session, campaigning for the provincial election scheduled for Oct. 5 has begun in earnest.
Québec solidaire is trying to get noticed, but “tax the rich” isn’t top of mind in this referendum/election. The party could see its seat count seriously reduced.
It’s clear to me that the increasingly bizarre mutterings of Parti Québécois Leader Paul St-Pierre-Plamondon are starting to reveal a serious credibility gap. Stage fright appears to be getting to this good political performer.
PSPP has zero experience in management — but he wants to orchestrate the breakup of Canada and run a whole new country! It’s hard to see how Quebecers can feel reassured. I expect his ideological ice castle will start to melt under the campaign spotlights. …
With the threat of a referendum as the main ballot question, many other big issues aren’t getting the attention they deserve in the run-up to the election. Pressing matters like homelessness now appear to be on the back burner.
I was impressed by a transformational 10-year plan from CN to contribute $100 million for the prevention of homelessness. It received scant media attention, though, even if local charities, including the Old Brewery Mission, are immediate beneficiaries.
Which party has the most credible plan to deal with homelessness? It doesn’t appear to be a top priority.
And the environment? Under the Coalition Avenir Québec, requests for exemptions allowing for the destruction of wetlands have been granted at an alarming rate. Which party has the will to rigorously enforce environmental protections?

26 June
Opinion: PQ’s new blueprint for sovereignty sets the stage for a high-stakes election campaign
Globe and Mail columnist Konrad Yakabuski believes the Parti Québécois’ 524-page Blue Book is the most comprehensive sovereignty plan the party has ever produced and will shape Quebec’s upcoming provincial election. The document outlines the PQ’s vision for an independent Quebec, including a referendum within its first mandate, a declaration of independence within two years of a Yes vote, and detailed proposals on borders, public finances, defence and relations with Canada. Yakabuski says the plan is intended to reassure supporters, provide candidates with clear talking points and portray Paul St-Pierre Plamondon as a serious and prepared leader. He notes that while federalists are likely to challenge many of the document’s assumptions, the election will determine whether the Blue Book becomes the foundation for a renewed sovereignty movement or simply joins previous independence proposals that never came to fruition.

23-24 June
Le Québec, ma patrie
This is a place where collaboration between people of differing religious, cultural, and linguistic backgrounds has long been a hallmark.
Andrew Caddell
Mulcair: Of caribou, kangaroos and herbicides
PQ leader’s novel argument for separatism may well provide a new catchphrase to Quebec’s quirky political lexicon.
In one of those uniquely Quebec quirks, separatists in this province are divided into two categories that carry animal nicknames: caribou and kangaroos. Caribou are separatists who would insist on taking the leap, irrespective of the potential dire consequences.
The kangaroos? Those are the separatists who hide their option in their pocket. Parti Québécois Leader Paul St-Pierre Plamondon [PSP} is a caribou, or at least he has been until recently, it seems.
For a long while PSPP made it clear he was going to take the leap come hell or high water on his promise to hold a sovereignty referendum in his first mandate if the PQ forms the next government.
The problem, however, is that polls continue to indicate nearly 70 per cent of Quebecers want nothing to do with a referendum that could lead to the breakup of Canada.
As the election nears, his uncompromising separatist option is becoming a real political liability, which might explain why he appears to be transitioning into a kangaroo before our very eyes.
No English debate during Quebec’s fall election campaign
Second straight campaign where the Coalition Avenir Québec and Parti Québécois have declined to participate in a debate in English.
The Quebec English news media consortium invited the leaders of each of the five main Quebec political parties to a 90-minute English-language debate on Sept. 24.
Both Québec solidaire and the Conservative Party of Quebec agreed to participate. A spokesperson for the Quebec Liberal Party told the consortium that the party would participate in an English debate if all five parties were participating.
PQ blue book: An independent Quebec would have an army, protect anglo school boards
Party releases 524-page blueprint document for an independent Quebec
An independent Quebec would have its own small army the size of Denmark’s and a ministry of defence. It would also seek to become a member of NATO and NORAD, while inviting Canadian soldiers living on Quebec soil to join the new force.
The military commitments are included in a new 524-page Parti Québécois blueprint document for an independent Quebec, Le Livre bleu sur l’indépendance.
Besides the military, the document republishes previously written chapters covering issues of citizenship, borders, passports, currency and the finances of the new country, which would break all ties with the monarchy and be a republic.

11 June
CAQ’s controversial Quebec constitution bill dies as parliamentary session ends
Quebec constitution bill will die on the order paper
The Coalition Avenir Québec (CAQ) government is in the final stretch as it seeks to pass several key bills in the last legislative session prior to the provincial election on Oct. 5.
On Thursday, [Quebec Justice Minister Simon] Jolin-Barrette confirmed to reporters he was abandoning his plan to create a Quebec constitution, saying that given the time remaining in the parliamentary session, the opposition’s consent would have been required for the bill to be passed.

9 June
What will make the cut? Four days left to pass 19 bills at Quebec’s National Assembly
(City News) MNAs will now only have a few days to go through public consultations. It started Tuesday with Bill 9, a law that would restrict energy drinks for youth under 16.
Officials from the Quebec order of pharmacists were present at the hearings. …
Alongside Bill 9 are 18 other laws like it. Political watchers say it’s unlikely every bill will make it through before the National Assembly adjourns.
Those that don’t could quickly become campaign promises as parties head into the fall election.
“The more time they are at the National Assembly, that’s less time that they have contact with potential voters,” Tran said.
Liberal Opposition members say the province would have had more time if the National Assembly wasn’t suspended after François Legault stepped down.
“They decided to suspend any works here at the National Assembly, so we lost three weeks,” Tanguay lamented.
“There’s also people working in the background to analyze different clauses and everything,” added Tran. … In those three weeks, a lot of things could have happened, definitely.”

6 June
The Problem is you!
In an op-ed in the Sherbrooke Record, author and columnist Guy Rex Rogers says Quebec’s language debate has become deeply polarized, with many anglophones feeling unfairly blamed for the perceived decline of French despite making significant efforts to learn and use the language. Responding to economist Mario Polèse’s call for English speakers to help protect French, Rodgers says many non-francophones see such appeals as dismissive of the progress they have already made. While francophones often view laws like Bill 96 as necessary to safeguard a vulnerable language and culture, anglophones frequently see them as punitive measures that target minorities without delivering meaningful benefits for French. Drawing on his research into immigrants and education, Rodgers adds English speakers, allophones and newcomers are bilingual than previous generations and have worked hard to integrate into Quebec’s French-speaking society, yet their efforts are overlooked as language requirements continue to expand.

20-26 May
The Defence Bank, Linguistic Hypocrisy, and Sovereigntist Denial
The “fear campaign” isn’t what you might think.
Patrick Déry
(Quebecsplaining) … In a letter to the National Post, Quebec’s Minister of International Relations and La Francophonie, Christopher Skeete, noted that Montreal is “the only North American metropolis where French is the official language and where English remains indispensable in business, science, and diplomacy.”
NATO’s headquarters are indeed located in Brussels, and its two official and founding languages are French and English, as specified in Article 14 of the North Atlantic Treaty.
Bernard Drainville, the Minister of the Economy, piled it on, noting that the eighteen countries that supported Canada “would be very happy for the bank to be located in a multilingual city” where one can “find people who speak [their] language.”
Other strengths of Montreal were highlighted. Yes, yes, the connection to Europe, international organizations, artificial intelligence, aerospace (the Defense Bank will not build aircraft, but let’s move on).
But “the only North American metropolis where English remains indispensable”? “A multilingual city?”
The same government that, for the past eight years, has placed the threat of the English language and the decline of French (which isn’t “declining” all that much, by the way) at the heart of its legislative agenda, suddenly sees the virtues of its metropolis’s bilingualism and multilingualism?
Andrew Caddell: Quebec offers few incentives in the NATO defence bank competition
If Quebec fails to bring the defence bank to Montreal, it’ll have no one to blame but itself.

5-9 May
Libman: Fréchette breaks the facade on CAQ 2.0
Many had hoped the new leader would prove to be more pragmatic and tolerant. Nonsense.
As the National Assembly resumed sitting, Fréchette’s inaugural address as premier and legislative priorities indicate that she incarnates the same old CAQ with the same old political games and cynical attempts at manipulating the population with language and identity issues, to distract from its failures.
The first item on her legislative agenda was renewing the constitutional notwithstanding clause to extend the shielding of language law Bill 96 from Charter of Rights challenges. The law was passed in 2022, so the clause — which has a five-year shelf-life — didn’t have to be re-invoked for another year. As if this is the top priority for Quebecers right now.
Hanes: So much for a fresh start under Fréchette for CAQ and anglos
It may have been naive for anglos tired of being scapegoated to expect things to change under the new premier.
The first piece of legislation the Fréchette administration tabled was a bill on Wednesday to renew the notwithstanding clause early on the CAQ’s language legislation adopted in 2022, a major bone of contention for anglophones. The constitutional override, which was deployed pre-emptively on Bill 96 to shelter it from court challenges, needs to be reactivated every five years. But it doesn’t expire until 2027.
Kicking off a five-week legislative session with this unnecessary manoeuvre should be a warning sign to English-speaking Quebecers that Fréchette’s government has the same disregard for rights and the same exclusionary brand of nationalism as her predecessor.
Next, the new premier wants to extend the Charter of the French Language to adult and vocational training schools, potentially opening a new front in the ongoing battle over who is eligible for English education.
… She is also trying to back the Quebec Liberals into a corner, while attempting to make new leader Charles Milliard look weak on protecting French after he said he would renew the constitutional shield on Bill 96, then nuanced his stance amid concern from his caucus and the English-speaking community.
In her inaugural speech Tuesday and in her first face-to-face meeting with Prime Minister Mark Carney last month, Fréchette gave an impassioned defence of the notwithstanding clause as being essential to Quebec’s autonomy and parliamentary sovereignty.
Its proactive use on Bill 21, Quebec’s initial secularism law, was just the subject of a landmark case before the Supreme Court of Canada, which held four days of hearings in March. Clearly, Fréchette isn’t waiting to see the implications of the eventual ruling before locking down Bill 96 for another five years.
Her haste shows that Fréchette, too, cares less about the rights of Quebecers, be they anglophones or religious minorities, than she does about a tool to allow governments to ignore them so legislation can be enacted that wouldn’t otherwise pass the smell test.
Quebec Premier Fréchette to renew notwithstanding clause on province’s language law
Quebec opposition leaders criticize Fréchette’s first order of business as premier

15-21 April
Christine Fréchette, unveiled her cabinet Tuesday, 21 April; Bernard Drainville is the minister responsible for the Economy, Innovation and Energy, Maritime Strategy.
Christine Fréchette sworn in as Quebec premier, pledges to defend language and identity
“I will not back away from anything to protect our French language, our culture and our Quebec values.”
Christine Fréchette has officially become premier of Quebec, vowing to use all available means to protect the Quebec nation.
…her speech, which did not include a word of English or mention of the anglophone community, was mostly focused on the economy and Quebec’s future.
“As a society we sometimes have the impression that we are advancing in the fog,” she said. “We have a choice: reverse or more forward. I choose moving forward.”
Fréchette repeated her commitment to require more Quebec content — including wood and aluminum — in public tender contracts and Quebec-grown food in Quebec hospitals to stimulate the economy.
Christine Fréchette will become Quebec’s premier today [at 4 pm]. Here’s how she got here
Fréchette, a 55-year-old former business executive, will be sworn in Wednesday
Benjamin Shingler

12-13 April
Analysis: Who is Christine Fréchette, Quebec’s new premier?
With a background in business and international relations, she is seen as calm, cautious and pragmatic…. She previously worked with the Parti Québécois but left over disagreements on identity policies, though she now supports the CAQ’s secularism law. Supporters say her steady style is reassuring, while critics point to her limited experience.
Christine Fréchette is Quebec’s next premier after winning CAQ leadership
Fréchette beats out Bernard Drainville to become leader of governing party
(CBC) Fréchette focused her campaign on growing the economy and helping Quebecers deal with the rising cost of living. She reiterated those priorities during her acceptance speech. [She] previously worked in economic development, as well as behind the scenes with the Parti Québécois, before winning a seat with the Coalition Avenir Québec (CAQ) in 2022…[and serving] as Quebec’s immigration minister prior to taking over as minister of economy, innovation and energy in 2024.
Christine Fréchette named new CAQ leader and premier
(Gazette) Christine Fréchette…will become Quebec’s next premier, defeating Bernard Drainville with 57.9 per cent of the vote… A former economy minister, Fréchette becomes the province’s 33rd premier and only the second woman to hold the role, pledging to renew the party while maintaining key elements of Legault’s economic and identity agenda.

11 April
The Montreal area is the epicentre of the Canadian political landscape this week.
(The Corner Booth) The federal Liberals, including Prime Minister Mark Carney, are in town for their policy convention. Tomorrow, the next CAQ leader will be announced a hop, skip and a jump away in Drummondville. Then on Monday, the riding of Terrebonne will decide their next member of Parliament in a byelection that will reverberate across the country.
… Speaking on the Corner Booth podcast, former Quebec Liberal minister David Heurtel says that federal Prime Minister Mark Carney is currently the most popular politician in Quebec, noting that his careful, low-profile approach and avoidance of sovereignty debates make him broadly appealing. Heurtel suggests Carney’s popularity could influence both the Terrebonne by-election and Quebec’s upcoming provincial election. He also says the governing CAQ is in serious political trouble, predicting a collapse regardless of whether Bernard Drainville or Christine Fréchette leads the party.

9 April
To anglophone Quebecers, was François Legault an enemy or a friend?
When François Legault’s Coalition Avenir Québec first came to power in 2018, he made a concerted effort to win the trust of English-speaking Quebecers, signaling that his government would consider their concerns and promote inclusivity. Over the course of eight years, a series of legislative measures, including stricter language laws and policies that many anglophones viewed as limiting their rights, shifted the relationship between the government and the English-speaking community. What began as a strategy of outreach gradually turned into a source of tension, leaving Legault’s legacy with Quebec’s anglophones complicated. While some may still appreciate aspects of his governance, for many in the community his tenure is defined more by conflict and alienation than by collaboration.

22-23 March
Quebec businesses demand simpler rules, AI policy and increases to immigration
The Quebec chamber of commerce unveiled on Monday its economic priorities and policy recommendations for the government by 2030, in which they demanded increase in immigration, simplified bureaucracy and public procurement rules and artificial intelligence (AI) policy to meet labour shortage.
The Fédération des chambres de commerce du Québec (FCCQ) released a set of 55 recommendations, which it says were based on extensive consultations with businesses in Quebec.
The federation represents 120 chambers of commerce and over 1,000 corporations, totalling over 40,000 businesses in the province.
The proposals released in the “Priorités économiques – Québec 2030” include: centralized, electronic portal for bidding and awarding provincial and municipal contracts, province-wide strategy for procurement from Quebec businesses, tax incentives for international expansion.
L’éléphant dans la pièce
La Presse columnist Michel C. Auger warns that an aging population, declining birth rate, and reduced immigration will slow economic growth and threaten the sustainability of social programs, especially health care. Despite this, the Quebec government continues to limit immigration, with Jean-François Roberge defending lower thresholds, even as immigration remains the only real source of population growth. … He warns that without a policy shift, Quebec will face long-term economic stagnation and declining political weight within Canada, made worse by the departure of tens of thousands of non-permanent residents who were already integrated into the workforce.

17 March
Hundreds of groups urge Quebec government to scrap controversial constitution
The backlash against Quebec’s Bill 1 continues to grow. Hundreds of organizations across the province are calling on the government to scrap its proposed legislation to create a Quebec constitution. Critics say the process has been flawed from the start and warn it could have far-reaching impacts on minority rights and workers.
In a show of solidarity, a handful of Quebec community groups, unions and organizations gathered in Quebec City Tuesday, united in their opposition to Quebec’s proposed constitution, known as Bill 1.

4 March
Support for sovereignty nosedives; Quebec Liberals and PQ in dead heat: poll
Opposition to Quebec independence stands at 71 per cent, the highest level since the sovereignty referendum in 1995.
The Léger online survey… findings suggest a one-point drop in support for the PQ since January, while support for the Quebec Liberals, who saw Charles Milliard acclaimed as their leader in mid-February, increased by four points.

Quebec Liberal Party June 2025-

Legault leaves behind major bills still facing constitutional challenges
Premier François Legault will leave office with several major laws still tied up in constitutional challenges, highlighting the legal legacy of his seven years in power. Key bills include Bill 96 on the French language, which tightened language rules for businesses, immigrants and education and is facing multiple court challenges, and Bill 21 on secularism, which is now before the Supreme Court of Canada. Also under legal scrutiny are Bill 89, which limits the right to strike by allowing government intervention in labour disputes, and Bill 40, which restructured school boards and was ruled partly unconstitutional for violating minority education rights. In addition, the CAQ’s proposed Quebec constitution bill, Bill 1, has raised serious concerns among legal experts and rights groups, including TALQ, and could also face court challenges, meaning Legault’s most controversial reforms may ultimately be judged by the courts rather than voters.
(CTV) Here is a look at the main ones that remain in legal limbo.
Bill 96
An Act respecting French, the official and common language of Québec
Bill 96 introduced a major overhaul of the province’s Charter of the French Language.
Adopted in May 2022, its effects on Quebec society are large in scope by requiring more French signage for businesses, requiring new immigrants to receive government services exclusively in French six months after their arrival, capping enrolment at English-language CEGEPs, authorizing search-and-seizure powers without warrants for the province’s French-language watchdog, among other reforms.
One of the main groups challenging Bill 96 is the English Montreal School Board (EMSB). The EMSB has won partial victories when the Quebec Court of Appeal struck down provisions that would have required English school boards to communicate exclusively in French.
The suspension of parts of Bill 96 will continue until the courts rule on the merits of the law, which could take several years. The constitutional challenge is still before the Superior Court.
Bill 21
An Act respecting the laicity of the State
Bill 21 was adopted in June 2019. It bans public workers in positions of authority, such as teachers, principals, police officers, lawyers, and judges, from wearing religious symbols at work.
Bill 21 has reached the Supreme Court of Canada (The Supreme Court of Canada has agreed to hear a legal challenge of Quebec’s secularism law, known as Bill 21. Hearings at the Supreme Court are expected to begin on March 23).
Several groups are challenging the law, including the EMSB, the National Council of Canadian Muslims, the Canadian Civil Liberties Association, and teachers’ union the Fédération autonome de l’enseignement.

17 February
Jolin-Barrette praises anglophones’ ‘invaluable contribution’ amid ongoing tensions
Andy Riga
“The Quebec state recognizes all of its citizens, and in particular the anglophone minority in Quebec, who have participated in, contributed to and helped develop Quebec.”
But he stopped short of saying whether he will adopt a prominent sovereignist’s call to enshrine English-speaking Quebecers’ education and health-care rights in the written provincial constitution he is proposing.
Jolin-Barrette was responding to Sylvia Martin-Laforge, the director general of TALQ, who presented the anglophone rights group’s brief at the hearing on Tuesday evening.

28 January
‘We feel abandoned’: 25 UQAM profs in limbo after Quebec axes immigration program
Twenty-five professors at the Université du Québec à Montréal may have to leave the province as a result of the abolition of the Programme de l’expérience québécoise (PEQ), their union said Thursday.
The Syndicat des professeurs et professeures de l’UQAM-CSN is joining a growing list of groups calling on Quebec to implement a grandfather clause for temporary foreign workers who intended to pursue permanent residency through the program, describing its abolition as “disastrous” for the university.

15-17 January
Libman: Legault leaves legacy as premier of not all Quebecers
For many who feel he trampled on their rights, there is little regret this week over his decision to step aside.
Gazette columnist Robert Libman writes how François Legault’s resignation as Quebec premier has drawn mixed reactions, with many noting that his leadership did not serve all Quebecers equally. While he guided the province through the pandemic, his tenure was marked by costly missteps, ballooning deficits, and strained public services. Legislation such as Bill 21 and Bill 96 symbolized his focus on secularism and the French language, but critics say they marginalized minorities without addressing deeper issues. Legault’s emphasis on immigration and cultural nationalism reinforced the sense that he prioritized certain groups over others.
Tasha Kheiriddin: Legault’s departure may signal a return to the past for Quebec
Legault built the CAQ to offer voters a third option: nationalist, but not separatist
National Post columnist Tasha Kheiriddin argues that François Legault’s resignation as premier and CAQ leader could mark the end of the political “third way” he created in Quebec and a return to the traditional divide between federalists and sovereigntists. Legault built the CAQ as a nationalist but non-separatist alternative to the Parti Québécois and the Liberals, leading it to two majority governments and reshaping Quebec politics, but scandals, costly policy failures and declining public support weakened his hold on power.

14 January
Premier Legault steps down with no obvious successor in the wings
The premier was clinging to power in the hopes the steps he took in late 2025 would produce an uptick in his support. It was not to be.
Unable to turn back the tide of voter dissatisfaction, Premier François Legault Wednesday announced he is stepping down as premier and leader of the Coalition Avenir Québec, a party he founded in 2011.
He said he will stay in office and as MNA for the riding of L’Assomption until the party names a successor.
Who could replace François Legault as Quebec premier? Here are five possible contenders
After nearly 15 years leading the Coalition Avenir Québec, Legault’s resignation has started a succession battle at the party he founded.

2025

19 December
Quebec Liberals: Marc Tanguay resumes job of interim leader after Rodriguez resignation
He served as interim leader for two years and seven months following the resignation of former leader Dominique Anglade in November 2022.
Quebec Liberal leader steps down after weeks of turmoil
Pablo Rodriguez has resigned only 6 months after taking over the post, sources tell CBC News
Quebec Liberal Party Leader Pablo Rodriguez resigned from his post during a meeting with his caucus Wednesday afternoon, sources tell CBC News.
Rodriguez felt he had become too great a distraction and that his presence was hurting the party, sources say.

13 December
2025 in review: The Quebec Liberals ‘need a culture shift’ | The Corner Booth
In this year-in-review episode of The Corner Booth, Martine St-Victor and Raphaël Melançon joined hosts Bill Brownstein and Aaron Rand to recap 2025’s major political events in Quebec and Canada. The discussion covered Justin Trudeau’s resignation, Mark Carney reviving the federal Liberals, and the U.S. election of Donald Trump. At the municipal level, Montreal voters elected Soraya Martinez Ferrada and Ensemble Montréal over Luc Rabouin and Projet Montréal. Provincially, the panel noted Premier François Legault pushing controversial bills and the Quebec Liberal Party, led by Pablo Rodriguez, facing vote-buying allegations. They explored questions for 2026, including whether the CAQ or Liberals can regain support, if the Quebec Conservatives can appeal to anglophones, and local issues such as Montreal becoming an AI hub, missed World Cup opportunities, and persistent potholes.

11 December
Would a Quebec constitution strip protections for Anglos and other minorities? – The Elias Makos Show | iHeart
(TALQ) Speaking on the Elias Makos Show on CJAD, TALQ director general Sylvia Martin-Laforge highlights the recent brief TALQ released highlighting its concerns over Quebec’s drafted constitution also known as Bill 1. She discusses the 22-page document and how TALQ is preparing for its appearance at the bill’s consultation process, on February 17. Martin-Laforge argues that there was no consultation and that a constitution can’t be drafted that way. “The bill should not go through,” she said. The CAQ’s draft Quebec constitution faces strong opposition for weakening individual rights, favoring collective rights, and potentially undermining minority protections.

Sweeping Quebec crime bill would ban gang colours, restrict protests and create sex offenders’ registry
The proposed legislation responds to a Legault government promise to prioritize law and order.

9 December
CAQ’s constitution would gut historic protections for minorities, anglo rights group warns
The proposed Quebec constitution barely acknowledges the English-speaking community and “fails to acknowledge any historic rights,” TALQ says.
By Andy Riga
Premier François Legault’s proposed constitution marks a step toward “dismantling democracy” and should alarm minorities because it would erase historic protections, an anglophone rights group warns.
Fundamental rights are the foundation of democracy, and are “integral to the identity of modern Quebec society,” thanks to the province’s groundbreaking Charter of Human Rights and Freedoms, says TALQ, a coalition of anglophone groups.
Now, 50 years after the charter’s adoption, the Coalition Avenir Québec seeks, through Bill 1 — the Quebec Constitution Act, 2025 — to “explicitly weaken” human rights, TALQ argues in its brief, which will be made public on Tuesday.

4 December
Lower wages and employment rates for anglos cost Quebec $1.5 billion a year: study
The report expands on data from the 2021 census that indicated English-speaking Quebecers continue to face higher unemployment and lower incomes than their French-speaking counterparts.
“This report is really trying to focus on showing the strength of what our community could contribute if we were employed and earning at the same level as francophones,” says Nicholas Salter, executive director of the Provincial Employment Roundtable.
The report — The State of Employment Among English-Speaking Quebecers — expands on data from the 2021 census that indicated English-speaking Quebecers continue to face higher unemployment and lower incomes than their French-speaking counterparts.
Researchers combined those findings with monthly labour market statistics to put a dollar figure on how those disparities affect the Quebec economy. The hope is that the findings will spur decision-makers to invest in more employment initiatives and training for the anglophone community.